U.S. patent number 6,678,457 [Application Number 10/082,977] was granted by the patent office on 2004-01-13 for optical splitter module.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Unicom Technologies, Co., LTD. Invention is credited to Soon Nam Jun, Seong Gwon Kim, Jong Ha Moon.
United States Patent |
6,678,457 |
Kim , et al. |
January 13, 2004 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Optical splitter module
Abstract
The present invention is an optical splitter module comprising
couplers, which have one or more optical connectors attached
thereto. The optical splitter module further comprises an adaptor
holder for fixing a plurality of optical adaptors in a line and
having a height the same as or smaller than that of the optical
adaptor, a housing having means for fixing the couplers, and a
cover adapted for preventing the coupler from being externally
exposed. The height of the optical splitter module is the same as
or smaller than the height of the optical adaptor mounted on the
adaptor holder. The adaptor holder further comprises a wrinkled
portion with a plurality of peaks and gullies alternatively formed
in a longitudinal direction. The wrinkled portion has a plurality
of adaptor insertion holes for receiving and supporting the optical
adaptors. The front edge of the housing has a toothed portion,
which corresponds to the peaks and gullies of the wrinkled portion
of the adaptor holder. The front edge of the cover has a toothed
portion, which corresponds to the peaks and gullies of the wrinkled
portion of the adaptor holder.
Inventors: |
Kim; Seong Gwon (Seongnam-si,
KR), Jun; Soon Nam (San Leandro, CA), Moon; Jong
Ha (Gwangou, KR) |
Assignee: |
Unicom Technologies, Co., LTD
(Gwangju, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
19716522 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/082,977 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Dec 1, 2001 [KR] |
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2001-75587 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
385/135;
385/134 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B
6/4453 (20130101); G02B 6/3897 (20130101); G02B
6/3825 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G02B
6/36 (20060101); G02B 6/38 (20060101); G02B
006/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;385/135,134,136-137,139 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bruce; David V.
Assistant Examiner: Suchecki; Krystyna
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Baker Botts, LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An optical splitter module having couplers to which one or more
optical connectors are attached, said optical splitter module
comprising: an adaptor holder for fixing a plurality of optical
adaptors in a line, said adaptor holder having a height the same as
or smaller than those of said optical adaptors; a housing having a
means for fixing said couplers; and a cover adapted for preventing
said couplers from being externally exposed;
wherein said adaptor holder, said housing and said cover are
mechanically fixed to or engaged to one another, and the height of
said optical splitter module is smaller than the sum of the
thickness of said housing, the thickness of said cover and the
height of said optical adapters.
2. The optical splitter module of claim 1, wherein said adaptor
holder comprises a wrinkled portion with a plurality of peaks and
gullies alternatively formed in a longitudinal direction, said
wrinkled portion having a plurality of adaptor insertion holes
formed therein for receiving and supporting a plurality of said
optical adaptors; wherein said housing comprises a bottom portion,
sidewalls extending upwardly from one or more edges of said bottom
portion, and fixing portions for fixing said adaptor holder
thereto, a front edge of said housing having a toothed portion
formed thereon, said toothed portion corresponding to said peaks
and gullies of said wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder;
and
wherein said wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder is engaged
with said toothed portion of said front edge of said housing.
3. The optical splitter module of claim 2, wherein angles between
said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion and angles between
each adjacent teeth in said toothed portions are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree., the lengths of each of the two sides
forming each said peaks and gullies are substantially identical,
and said optical splitter module is provided with handle portions
on the front portions thereof.
4. The optical splitter module of claim 1, wherein said adaptor
holder comprises a wrinkled portion with a plurality of peaks and
gullies alternatively formed in a longitudinal direction, said
wrinkled portion having a plurality of adaptor insertion holes
formed therein for receiving and supporting a plurality of said
optical adaptors;
wherein said cover is mounted on sidewalls of said housing, a front
edge of said cover having a toothed portion formed thereon, said
toothed portion corresponding to said peaks and gullies of said
wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder; and
wherein said wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder is engaged
with said toothed portion of said front edge of said cover.
5. The optical splitter module of claim 4, wherein angles between
said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion and angles between
each adjacent teeth in said toothed portions are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree., lengths of each of the two sides forming
each said peaks and gullies are substantially identical, and said
optical splitter module is provided with handle portions on the
front portion thereof.
6. An optical splitter module having couplers to which one or more
optical connectors are attached, said optical splitter module
comprising: an adaptor holder for fixing a plurality of optical
adaptors in a line, said adaptor holder having a height the same as
or smaller than those of said optical adaptors, said adaptor holder
comprising a wrinkled portion with a plurality of peaks and gullies
alternatively formed in a longitudinal direction, said wrinkled
portion having a plurality of adaptor insertion holes formed
therein for receiving and supporting a plurality of said optical
adaptors; a housing having a means for fixing said couplers, said
housing comprising a bottom portion, sidewalls extending upwardly
from one or more edges of said bottom portion, and fixing portions
for fixing said adaptor holder thereto, a front edge of said
housing having a toothed portion formed therewith, said toothed
portion corresponding to said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled
portion of said adaptor holder; and a cover adapted for preventing
said coupler from being externally exposed, said cover being
mounted on said sidewalls of said housing, a front edge of said
cover having a toothed portion formed therein, said toothed portion
corresponding to said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion of
said adaptor holder;
wherein said adaptor holder, said housing and said cover are
mechanically fixed to or engaged with one another, and the height
of said optical splitter module is smaller than the sum of the
thickness of said housing, the thickness of said cover and the
height of said optical adaptors.
7. The optical splitter module of claim 6, wherein one or more
holes are formed on said wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder,
and wherein on said front edge of said housing or said front edge
of said cover, tabs with threaded holes are formed on positions
corresponding to the positions of said holes of said adaptor
holder.
8. The optical splitter module of claim 7, wherein angles between
said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion and angles between
each adjacent teeth in said toothed portions are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree., the lengths of each of the two sides
forming each said peaks and gullies are substantially identical,
and said optical splitter module is provided with handle portions
on the front portion thereof.
9. The optical splitter module of claim 6, wherein each peak and
gully of said toothed portions of said housing and said cover is
engaged with said wrinkled portion of said adaptor holder and has
projection portions adapted for extension by a thickness of said
adaptor holder such that said adaptor holder is mounted on said
projection portions of said toothed portions of said housing and
said cover.
10. The optical splitter module of claim 9, wherein angles between
said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion and angles between
each adjacent teeth in said toothed portions are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree., the lengths of each of the two sides
forming each said peaks and gullies are substantially identical,
and said optical splitter module is provided with handle portions
on the front portion thereof.
11. The optical splitter module of claim 6, wherein angles between
said peaks and gullies of said wrinkled portion and angles between
each adjacent teeth in said toothed portions are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree., the lengths of each of the two sides
forming each said peaks and gullies are substantially identical,
and said optical splitter module is provided with handle portions
on the front portion thereof.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical splitter module, more
particularly, to an optical splitter module comprising couplers
attached with optical connectors and an encasing means containing
the couplers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional optical splitter modules contain a plurality of
optical fiber couplers in a case and allow selective use of optical
signals having a wavelength of 1310 nm or 1550 nm. The optical
splitter module allows simultaneous monitoring between a service
provider and a subscriber by dividing a portion of the optical
signals, thus enabling prompt restoration and easy maintenance and
repair of telecommunication jamming.
A conventional optical splitter module 10 shown in FIG. 1a has
couplers attached with optical connectors and a case containing the
couplers. The case comprises an adaptor holder 11 with optical
adaptors attached thereto, a housing 12, and a cover 13 mounted on
the housing. As shown in FIG. 1b, the housing includes a front
portion 14, a bottom portion 15 and sidewalls 16. An upper portion
of the housing is shown, opened. The front portion 14 of the
housing is formed by upwardly folding a portion extending from the
bottom portion of the housing. The front portion 14 of the housing
is provided with an opening 17 for mounting an adaptor holder 11 of
FIG. 1c with a plurality of optical adaptors attached thereto, and
defines a front portion of the module when the adaptor holder is
mounted on the module. The adaptor holder 11 has a wrinkled portion
with a plurality of alternatively formed peaks and gullies and is
inserted into opening 17 of the front portion of the housing. Both
ends of the adaptor holder 11 are threaded into the front portion
14 of the housing. The cover 13 is mounted on the opened upper
portion of the housing, and thus, the adaptor holder 11 is inserted
and mounted between the bottom portion 15 of the housing and the
cover 13. A front edge of the bottom portion 15 of the housing 12
and a front edge of the cover 13, which are adjacent to the adaptor
holder 11, are manufactured to be in a straight line. According to
the conventional optical splitter module, the front portion 14 of
the housing is formed by upwardly folding a portion of the bottom
portion 15 of the housing. Thus, the front portion 14 of the
housing need to have an upper portion 18 and a lower portion 19,
each generally having a height of more than 5 mm and extending
transversely along the opening into which an adaptor holder,
generally having a height of 15 mm, is inserted to support the
adaptor holder. This increases the height of the front portion 14
of the housing generally up to about 27 mm, which results in
problems such as increase in the overall height of the module 10.
This, in turn, limits the number of modules that can be mounted
within a chassis.
FIG. 2 shows a housing 12' of another conventional optical splitter
module. The housing 12' does not require upper and lower portions
18 and 19, as shown in FIG. 1b, extending transversely along an
opening of front portion 14' of the housing. Thus, the height of
the front portion 14' of the housing 12' can be somewhat reduced.
However, as shown in the illustrated conventional module of FIG. 2,
an adaptor holder is inserted and mounted between a bottom portion
15' of the housing and cover. Therefore, the height of the front
portion of the housing is defined by adding the thickness of the
bottom portion 15' of the housing and the thickness of the cover,
which are generally about 2 mm, to the height of the adaptor
holder, which is generally about 15 mm. Therefore, it is
impractical to manufacture the module with a lower height without
downsizing the optical adaptor per se.
The adaptor holders in conventional optical splitter modules have
the additional problem of being unable to securely and tightly hold
the optical adaptor, because the adaptor holder is supported by
only threading on both ends of the front portions 14 and 14' of the
housings 12 and 12', and the middle portions of the adaptor holder
are not fixed.
The present invention is intended to solve the problems of
conventional optical splitter modules as described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an optical
splitter module capable of improving the inserting capabilities of
modules within a standard chassis by reducing the height of the
optical splitter module.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical
splitter module capable of tightly securing an adaptor holder by
engaging the middle portion of the adaptor holder with the housing
and a cover when the adaptor holder is mounted to the housing and
the cover of the optical splitter module.
One aspect of the present invention is an optical splitter module
including couplers to which one or more optical connectors are
attached. The optical splitter module comprises an adaptor holder
for fixing a plurality of optical adaptors in a line, the adaptor
holder having a height the same as or smaller than the height of
the optical adaptors; a housing having a means for fixing the
couplers; and a cover adapted for preventing the coupler from being
externally exposed. The adaptor holder, the housing and the cover
are mechanically fixed to or engaged with one another, and the
height of the optical splitter module is smaller than the sum of
the thickness of said housing, the thickness of said cover and the
height of said optical adapters.
Another aspect of the present invention is an optical splitter
module including couplers to which one or more optical connectors
are attached. The optical splitter module comprises an adaptor
holder for fixing a plurality of optical adaptors in a line, the
adaptor holder has a height the same as or smaller than that of the
optical adaptor, the adaptor holder comprises a wrinkled portion
with a plurality of periodically formed peaks and gullies in a
longitudinal direction, the wrinkled portion having a plurality of
adaptor insertion holes formed therein for receiving and supporting
a plurality of optical adaptors; a housing having a means for
fixing the couplers, the housing comprising a bottom portion,
sidewalls extending upwardly from one or more edges of the bottom
portion, and fixing portions for fixing the adaptor holder thereto,
the front edge of the housing having a toothed portion formed
therewith, the toothed portion corresponding to the peaks and
gullies of the wrinkled portion of the adaptor holder; and a cover
adapted for preventing the coupler from being externally exposed,
the cover being mounted on the sidewalls of the housing, the front
edge of the cover having a toothed portion formed therein, and the
toothed portion corresponding to the peaks and gullies of the
wrinkled portion of the adaptor holder.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide an optical
splitter module, wherein one or more holes are formed on the
wrinkled portion of the adaptor holder, and wherein on the front
edge of the housing or on the front edge of the cover, tabs with
threaded holes are formed on positions corresponding to the
positions of the holes of the adaptor holder.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an
optical splitter module wherein each peak and gully of the toothed
portions of the housing and the cover are engaged with the wrinkled
portion of the adaptor holder, and has a projection portion adapted
to be extended by the thickness of the adaptor holder so that the
adaptor holder is mounted on the toothed portions of the housing
and the cover.
In the preferred embodiments as summarized above, the angles
between the peaks and gullies of the wrinkled portions of the
adaptor holder and angles between each adjacent teeth in the
toothed portions of the housing and the cover are in the range of
80.degree. to 100.degree.. The lengths of the two sides forming
each of the peaks and gullies are substantially identical, and the
preferred optical splitter module is provided with handle portions
on the front portions thereof.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from the following detailed description and the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is substantially illustrated below and are
set forth with particularity in the appended claims.
FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a conventional optical splitter
module.
FIG. 1b shows a plan view and an elevational view of the housing of
the conventional optical splitter module shown in FIG. 1a.
FIG. 1c is a plan view and an elevational view of the adaptor
holder of the conventional optical splitter module shown in FIG.
1a.
FIG. 2, which is similar to FIG. 1b, is a plan view and an
elevational view of a housing of another conventional optical
splitter module.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the optical splitter module
according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the optical splitter
module shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a plan view and an elevational view of the adaptor holder
of the optical splitter module shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a plan view and an elevational view of the housing of the
optical splitter module shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a plan view and an elevational view of the cover mounted
on the housing of the optical splitter module shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a housing of the optical splitter module
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a cover for the optical splitter module
according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a plan view and an elevational view of the adaptor
holder of the optical splitter module according to the second
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An optical splitter module of the first embodiment according to the
present invention will now be described in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
With reference to FIG. 3, the optical splitter module 20 of the
present invention comprises a plurality of couplers with one or
more optical connectors attached thereto and a case containing the
couplers. The case of the module comprises an adaptor holder 31
holding a plurality of optical adaptors 30, a housing 21, and a
cover 41.
Referring to FIG. 4, the housing 21 of the present invention
comprises a bottom portion 25 and sidewalls 26. The upper portion
of the housing is shown opened. A fixing portion 24 for fixing the
adaptor holder thereto is integrally formed on a front portion of
the housing. The housing contains a plurality of couplers 51 with
optical connectors 52 attached thereto. The cover 41 is mounted on
sidewalls 26 of the housing. The front edge of a bottom portion 25
of housing 21 and the front edge of the cover 41, which are engaged
with the adaptor holder 31, have toothed portions 22 and 42 formed
therein. The toothed portions correspond to peaks and gullies of a
wrinkled portion 32 of the adaptor holder 31, respectively.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the adaptor holder 31 of the
present invention comprises the wrinkled portion 32, which has a
predetermined height and a plurality of peaks and gullies
periodically formed in a longitudinal direction. A plurality of
optical adaptors are inserted and mounted into the adaptor holder.
It is preferable that the height of the adaptor holder is the same
as or smaller than that of the optical adaptor. Preferably, a
plurality of optical adaptors are threaded into the adaptor holder.
For this purpose, adaptor insertion holes 36 for fixing and
supporting the optical adaptors and threaded holes 37 for fixing
the optical adaptor to the adaptor holder are provided on the
portion 33 of the adaptor holder where the respective optical
adaptors 30 are mounted. Both ends of the adaptor holder are
provided with handle portions 35 having mounting apertures 38 and
holes 39, which are used when mounting the optical splitter module
within a chassis. The holes 39 of the handle portions correspond to
threaded holes 29 of the fixing portions 24 of the housing, whereby
the adaptor holder 31 is fixed to the fixing portions 24 of the
front of the housing by threaded engagement through the holes 29
and 39. A locking member (not shown) is provided to the mounting
apertures 38 in order to lock the module 20 within the chassis.
Because the conventional module was locked to the chassis by
rotating a butterfly nut 90.degree., both sides of the locking
members were in the proceeding direction of the optical cords, and
thus, an interference was generated therebetween. However,
according to the present embodiment, the module is mounted on the
chassis in the manner of a sliding latch by slightly pressing the
module into the mounting apertures or brackets of the chassis. The
locking member is smaller than that of conventional modules, and
thus, it is not interfered to the proceeding direction of the
optical cords. In addition, the chassis (not shown) with the module
inserted therein is adapted to separately contain modules for
inserting into the left side of the chassis and modules for
inserting into the right side of the chassis.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, the housing 21 of the present
invention is formed with toothed portion 22 on the front edge of
the bottom portion 25, which engages the wrinkled portion 32 of the
adaptor holder 31. The front portion of the housing 21 is defined
by the adaptor holder 31, and therefore, it is not necessary to
extend and upwardly fold the bottom portion of the housing in order
to define the front portion of the housing. As a result, the
portions of the prior art, 18 and 19 of FIG. 1b, extending
transversely along the opening of the front portion of the housing,
are removed and the height of the housing can be reduced.
On the sidewalls 26 of the housing, a plurality of tabs 27 are
extended, each tab having a threaded hole for mounting the cover 41
by threaded engagement. In the toothed portion 22 formed on the
bottom portion 25 of the housing, one or more sides 34
corresponding to one or more sides of the wrinkled portion of the
adaptor holder 31, on which the optical adaptor 30 is not mounted,
are provided with a tab 28 having a threaded hole. The tab 28
assures secure engagement between the adaptor holder and the
housing by engaging the tab 28 with a hole 40, FIG. 5 formed on the
wrinkled portion 32 of the adaptor holder 31 by a thread.
Therefore, the generation of a large gap or a shaking on the middle
part of the optical splitter module is prevented.
The cover 41 shown in FIG. 7 is mounted on the upper portion of the
housing 21, and preferably threaded therebetween. For this purpose,
the cover is provided with holes 45 corresponding to the threaded
holes of the tabs 27 formed on the sidewalls 26 of the housing 21.
The front edge of the cover 41, which is adjacent to the adaptor
holder 31 when assembled, comprises a toothed portion 42
corresponding to the peaks and gullies of the wrinkled portion 32
of the adaptor holder 31, in the same manner as the front edge of
the bottom portion 25 of the housing 21. In addition, a tab 48 is
formed on the cover 41 and is joined to a hole 40 in FIG. 5 of the
wrinkled portion 32 of the adaptor holder 31, in the same manner as
the tab 28 on the housing 21. Thus, the tab 48 assures that the
adaptor holder is firmly secured on the cover. The angles of the
peaks and gullies of the wrinkled portion 32 and the angles of the
teeth in the toothed portions 22 and 42 are selected so as to
provide mounting convenience for the optical adaptor, while
reducing the length of the adaptor holder. Preferably, the angles
of the peaks and gullies of the wrinkled portion and the angles of
the teeth in the toothed portions are in the range of 80.degree. to
100.degree.. In addition, it is preferable that the lengths of the
two sides forming each peak and gully are of substantially
identical length to provide convenience for mounting to the optical
adaptor.
With further reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the adaptor holder, the
housing, and the cover are assembled to form a case for the optical
splitter module 20 of the present invention. The adaptor holder 31
defines a front portion of the housing when assembled. As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4, the front edges of the housing 21 and the cover 41
comprise the toothed portions 22 and 42 corresponding to the peaks
and gullies of the wrinkled portion 32 of the adaptor holder 31. As
such, unlike the prior art, the adaptor holder 31 is not inserted
between the bottom portion 25 of the housing and the cover 41, but
mounted to the housing by being engaged with the front edge 23 of
the housing 21 and the front edge 43 of the cover 41 while covering
the frond edges. Therefore, when assembling the module, the adaptor
holder, the housing and the cover can be securely engaged,
assembled and fixed to one another by the respective wrinkled
portions and toothed portions. Accordingly, the height of the front
portion of the housing 21 does not exceed the height of the adaptor
holder 31, and the overall height of the module 20 is the same as
or smaller than the height of the optical adaptor mounted on the
adaptor holder. For instance, the height of the conventional module
shown in FIG. 1, 27 mm, can be reduced to the height of the adaptor
holder, 15 mm.
The second embodiment according to the present invention will be
described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. As with the first
embodiment, the front edge of a bottom portion 25' of a housing 21'
and a front edge of a cover 41' comprise toothed portions 22' and
42' corresponding to peaks and gullies of a wrinkled portion 32' of
an adaptor holder 31'. The toothed portions 22' and 42' formed on
the front edges of the housing 21' and the cover 41' has a
projection portion to be extended to a width W, equal to the
thickness t1 of the adaptor holder 31' in order to cover the
thickness of the adaptor holder. In the peaks and gullies of the
wrinkled portion 32' of the adaptor holder 31', the heights of
portions 34' on which optical adaptors are not mounted are reduced
by a thickness t2 that is the same as the width W of the projection
portion. Accordingly, when the wrinkled portion 32' of the adaptor
holder 31' is engaged with the toothed portions of the housing 21'
and the cover 41', the adaptor holder 31' can be inserted between
the toothed portions of the housing 21' and the cover 41'. As such,
the adaptor holder 31' can be securely assembled and avoid
displacement.
The optical splitter module according the present invention is
manufactured in a small size wherein the height of the module is
reduced to the level of the height of the adaptor holder itself,
and a secure engagement between the adaptor holder and the housing
is guaranteed. For instance, when the height of the conventional
module, 27 mm, is reduced to the height of the adaptor holder, 15
mm, the stacking efficiency increases to 80% or more when stacking
the module within the same chassis. Therefore, the costs for
installing an additional chassis can be reduced and overall
installment space can be saved with a new subscriber.
Various modifications and adaptations to the present invention will
become apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit
of this disclosure. All such modifications and adaptations are
considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention as
defined by the following claims.
* * * * *